Columns – Page 6 – FindYourBuriedTreasure

What day is this?

“Today is about tomorrow, not about yesterday.” That statement came from the president of Georgia Writers Museum at the start of a strategic planning session I took part in last week. Normally, I am intimidated by things like strategic planning sessions. They’re simply not my area of expertise, and when I’m in one I often feel like I’m in the wrong place, or in over my head. This one was different, though. Creativity was emphasized, and the exercises we did over the course of the [...]

By bettyliedtke|May 22nd, 2023|Columns, Family, Organizing, Quotes and Sayings|Comments Off

What we want, what we need

It was in the middle of a recent writers workshop that a line from a Rolling Stones song popped into my mind. The line, and the song, is “You can’t always get what you want.” This happened as the workshop leader was talking about some of the nuts and bolts of writing a novel. While describing the development of character and plot, he said that the main character – and there should almost always be just one main character – must have a want and [...]

By bettyliedtke|May 15th, 2023|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Success, Values, Writing|Comments Off

When Sour is Sweet

There were a few days in a row last week when I didn’t have any meetings or appointments, which is a fairly rare occurrence. Plus, we had several workers coming to the house to do repairs or give us service estimates, so we needed to stay close to home. It seemed like the perfect time to bake some sourdough bread. Although bread-baking – especially sourdough – got really popular during the COVID lockdown in 2020, I didn’t get into it until later, after I read [...]

By bettyliedtke|May 8th, 2023|Columns, Values|Comments Off

Happy Anniversaries

I can still remember my grandma and grandpa’s 50th wedding anniversary. A special blessing at Mass was followed by a big reception in the church hall, which was filled with family, friends, and neighbors. I remember the yellow dress I wore that day, and the lovely dress, corsage, and smile my grandma wore. But that may be as much from photos as from memory. My mom died at age 42, long before she and my dad would have had a similar celebration, but I have [...]

By bettyliedtke|May 1st, 2023|Columns, Family|Comments Off

If you can stomach this…

I had a blog post written and almost ready to go last week. But before I could polish and post it, I had to take a slight detour, via ambulance, ending up in the hospital with internal bleeding caused by several small ulcers I didn’t know I had. After a few scary and painful days in the hospital, I’m home now, recovering and starting to feel like myself again. As always, after something bad happens in my life, I try to look for the good [...]

By bettyliedtke|April 22nd, 2023|Columns, Faith, Family, Health and Well-being|Comments Off

Easter Memories

I had a doctor’s appointment Friday afternoon, and it was starting to rain just as I was leaving the doctor’s office. I looked at the time as I got in my car. It was a little after 2:00. This immediately took me back to when I was young, and we spent a fair amount of time in church during the Easter Triduum – the period of time between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday. The hours between noon and 3 o’clock on Good Friday were especially [...]

By bettyliedtke|April 10th, 2023|Columns, Faith, Family, Holidays, Values|Comments Off

Madness Marches On

I always used to associate March Madness with a March Blizzard. The two always seemed to go together when we lived in Minnesota, and although the snowstorm was severe, we never worried about it too much, because Spring was around the corner, and we knew the snow wouldn’t last too long. But that was then, this is now. Snowstorms haven’t been an issue for us in the six years we’ve been living in Georgia. So I’m getting used to March Madness simply being about basketball. [...]

By bettyliedtke|April 1st, 2023|Columns, Family|Comments Off

A Computer Cautionary Tale

I’ve just returned to planet earth from the Never-Neverland I’ve been living in for the past few weeks. Also known as “computer problems.” You’ve probably spent some time there on occasion, too. Some problems are merely annoying or frustrating, like computers that start getting sluggish, or screens that freeze up during a video session. Others are more alarming, like malware that slips by your anti-virus protection and can do serious damage to your computer or the information you have stored there. My problems started while [...]

By bettyliedtke|March 28th, 2023|Columns|Comments Off

Can you read this?

“Up until third grade, you’re learning to read. After third grade, you’re reading to learn.” I heard this statement for the first time last week, from the Executive Director of an organization that works with the entire family to help children succeed in life and fulfill their God-given purpose. I was at the facility to discuss a program that several members of my Toastmasters Club did for the staff a few years ago, and that we’ve been asked to do again. It was during a [...]

By bettyliedtke|March 14th, 2023|Columns, Quotes and Sayings, Success, Toastmasters, Values, Writing|Comments Off

Choosing a Favorite

“So—Which place that you visited was your favorite?” I was expecting – and dreading – that question once my husband and I returned from our vacation in Italy. The only accurate and appropriate answer I could give would be the cliché response: “That’s like asking me which child is my favorite,” especially if my children numbered more than a dozen, instead of just two. I was planning to go on a pilgrimage to Italy with my church a number of years ago, but because of [...]

By bettyliedtke|March 3rd, 2023|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Travel, Values|Comments Off

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